Exclusives
FEATURE
Universal Principles for Creating a Sustainable City
Freiburg, Germany has become a stunning model of sustainability, thanks in part to Wulf Daseking, the city's Head of Urban Planning since 1984. Sven Eberlein vists Daseking in Freiberg for this interview.
FEATURE
From One Crisis to the Next: Congress Must Pass a Transportation Bill for All Users
The U.S. is going from one financial crisis directly into another, as SAFETEA-LU, the omnibus transportation bill, expires next month, writes Roxanne Blackwell of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
FEATURE
"The future of India lies in its villages"
This famous statement by Mahatma Gandhi is being challenged by urbanists today who see a shining future for India in its cities. Architect Dhiru Thadani writes that Gandhi's vision of village life can apply to all levels of urban form.
BLOG POST
Cheap transport and cheap housing: is there a tradeoff?
<p> A few months ago, I updated a city rating system (available at http://lewyn.tripod.com/livable09) that evaluated cities' "livability" by rating crime rates, transit-friendliness, and cost of housing. </p> <p> Plenty of cities did very well on the first two criteria. For example, New York is now safer than most big cities, and of course is by far the best city in the U.S. for public transit. But its housing costs are dreadfully high. The same was true of Boston and San Francisco (which, if only crime and transit were considered, would rank second and third for livability). </p>
FEATURE
A Little More Complete – Making Way for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles
Wave of the future, or glorified golf cart? Lisa Nisenson says that dismissing neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) is a mistake, and planners can use NEV planning to make more walkable urban centers.
BLOG POST
Integrated Planning for Community Health and Safety
Automobile travel imposes significant health risks. Traffic fatality rates, obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes, and total air pollution emissions tend to increase with per capita annual vehicle mileage.
BLOG POST
Borders’ Demise Could Open New Chapter In Urban Retail
<span style="font-family: Arial; color: black">To its minimal credit, Borders Books & Music always had a a few shelves where the works of Jacobs, Mumford, Kunstler, Whyte, Florida, and others resided. </span> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Arial; color: black">But, judging by the financial and aesthetic bankruptcies of, respectively, Borders and many American cities, it seems that copies of Life and Death (or anything else) weren't exactly flying out the door. If the public's understanding of urban economies even began to rival its fascination for gossip, self-help, and vampires, Borders never would have arisen in the first place.
FEATURE
The Carmageddon Effect
Carmageddon failed to live up to the hype, as Los Angelenos opted to leave their cars in the garage. As the hysteria fades, Planetizen's Tim Halbur asks: is there a real story here about good transportation planning?
BLOG POST
Land Use Impacts On Travel: Current State of Knowledge
As discussed in my previous column, An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) sponsored a research program intended to raise doubts about smart growth’s ability to reduce vehicle travel [...]
BLOG POST
Blog 54: My Top All-Time Blog Posts on Planning Education
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">When the Planetizen team set up the Interchange blog section in early 2007 they invited half a dozen academics, and dozens of others, to blog. This is my 54<sup>th</sup> entry in that (monthly) series. I’m about to start dealing with some new topics--like big ideas in planning--but thought I should do a little research to see which of my past blogs people have been reading.</span> <br />
FEATURE
Bikes Will Be "Incredibly Sexy and Utterly Normal"
Jay Walljasper argues that the era of specialized, Spandex-clad bicyclists dominating the road is coming to an end - the future is in normal folk taking to the road and taking advantage of the numerous benefits to society that comes from bicycling.
BLOG POST
Where are the Visionary Developers?
<p> <em>"The secret of Disney is doing things you don't need, and doing them well, and realizing that you needed them all along...Walt Disney was ahead of everyone, always."</em> </p> <p> <em>-Isaac Asimov, interviewed by Leonard Maltin<br /> </em> </p>
FEATURE
The Just City
Can a city be driven by the noble goals of democracy, diversity, and equity? Harvard professor Susan Fainstein thinks so, and outlines how in her new book, <em>The Just City.</em> Victor Negrete has a review.
BLOG POST
Managing Your Academic Adviser
<p> <span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">It’s the middle of summer and few people are thinking about the return to school. However, in the coming month or two new students will need to start interacting with their faculty adviser. The following tips can help make it a productive relationship.</span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span></span> </p>
BLOG POST
Cleanliness from a car
<p> A few months ago, I was talking to a faculty colleague who lives in a part of Jacksonville even more sprawl-bound where I live, an area about a mile or so from the nearest bus stop and with a single-digit Walkscore. He said Jacksonville was "safe and clean." I was a little surprised: "clean" is one word I would never* use to describe Jacksonville. When I walk down the sidewalks of San Jose Boulevard, I notice litter aplenty - and from what I know of Beach Boulevard (the grim commercial strip near my colleague's house) I doubt that it is much better. </p>
FEATURE
Beyond Safety in Numbers: Why Bike Friendly Cities are Safer
Studies often show that bicyclists find "safety in numbers." Norman Garrick and Wes Marshall explain that the street design strategies that attract bike riders are the same ones that improve road safety for all road users.
FEATURE
A Disaster Hits Home
Rebecca Bateman grew up in Joplin, Missouri, which was decimated on May 22nd by a tornado. The the personal nature of the disaster has caused her to reflect on some strategies for city planners to consider before a disaster hits.
BLOG POST
An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth
<p style="margin-top: 12pt" class="MsoNormal"> <em>Note: This column was originally titled, "A Stupid Attack on Smart Growth," intended as a pun on 'smart' and 'stupid.' However, that sounds harsh so I retitled it. - T.L.</em> </p> <p style="margin-top: 12pt" class="MsoNormal"> The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has a well-financed campaign to discourage communities from considering <span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif" class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/tisg.htm">smart growth</a></span> as a possible way to conserve energy and reduce pollution emissions. They contend that compact development has little effect on travel activity and so provides minimal benefits. The NAHB states that, “The existing body of research demonstrates no clear link between residential land use and GHG emissions.” But their research actually found the opposite: it indicates that smart growth policies can have significant impacts on travel activity and emissions.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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